17 February 2024 , 22:00
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Amanda Holden has insisted the property renovation show she hosts with Alan Carr is much harder work than it looks - and they often sabotage themselves by getting too drunk.
The 53-year-old Britain’s Got Talent judge and the 47-year-old comedian are stars of the BBC’s renovation show Italian Job. The show sees Amanda and Alan doing up a property in Italy - which is then sold, with proceeds going to charity. Following a successful first season in 2023, the duo are back to do up another property this year.
While Amanda and Alan make DIY look like a lot of fun, they have insisted that it is not all constant laughs and jokes. Indeed, Amanda has insisted that the work she undertakes with Alan is actually “back-breaking” and they are absolutely worn out by the end of the day.
They have to contest the fact that filming hours are extra long due to the fact they need to record segments for the show while also undertaking construction and decoration work. The pair also have to compete with hangovers - as they admit they enjoy a drink or two at the end of a long day of filming.
The duo are renovating an Italian property to sell for charity (BBC/Voltage TV)Amanda told a weekend magazine: “It’s a lot more hard work than probably people think - because there are laughs, but it’s 12/14-hour days and we are physically knackered by the end. It’s proper hard graft with a lot of travelling. There’s been a few days where we’ve had a bad hangover and we’ve had to pull a ceiling down or climb a mountain, but that’s our own doing.
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“No, overall, we felt quite safe. There were a couple of crew who fell through ceilings, but that’s another story!”
Alan added: “That is my bugbear when people assume that we just arrive at eight o’clock and at 8.02, I put the drill down, then we go to the pub and have a drink! In the episode where we did the garden, with the gravel, it was so hot. That nearly killed me. And in the end, it just looked like a cat litter tray!”
The second season of Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's The Italian Job has taken the pair to rural Tuscany where they have put their renovation skills to the test. Once the house is sold, proceeds will be split between Comic Relief and Children in Need.
When the second season was first announced, Amanda shared her joy - saying in a statement: “I'm obviously absolutely delighted that Alan and I have been given a second series of a show that we created together. This time I'm considering ditching my nail extensions but I'll certainly be keeping the lashes! I've got the Aperol Spritz on ice and I'm being fitted for a new boiler suit as we speak! I adore Alan and this job suits us both perfectly. The sweetest thing about it all is that we can continue to raise more money for charities that make a huge difference to the lives of so many.”
Alan added at the time: “So excited to be returning to Italy with my good friend Amanda for more blood sweat and tiles. Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and transform another Euro house. What could possibly go wrong?” The house in Sicily that the pair sold at the end of the first season made a profit of €145,000 (£127,500).